The Gospel Mandate

 August 1, 2024

Thursday

I read a newspaper article that spoke of trying to get non-believers to become believers was like getting them to join an organization or club. The article criticized Christians giving the gospel and praying for groups to become Christians. It seems the writer thought that you can be anything you want and you'll be okay.  The writer seemed to think that what you are is your own culture which must not be tampered with. The writer either believes in universalism or thinks that our faith is just a personal experience that we should keep to ourselves.

But, how can we? We were commissioned to go into all the world and make disciples. We were called to tell the gospel to those who have never heard it. The first converts were Jews who upon hearing the gospel gave their lives to Christ. The gospel story was expanded to the Gentiles who had a myriad of beliefs before they heard the gospel. Many of these converts were persecuted, imprisoned and killed. Do people think this was just some initiation rites that were being observed? They were treated harshly because they would not back down from their belief. They would not stop sharing the gospel with others.

More people will face condemnation and hell if we do not share the gospel. It is not intended to steal their culture. It is intended to change their ultimate destination. God created us for eternity. He has an eternal place for us. Otherwise, even keeping a culture foreign to Christianity makes no sense. What is the value of posterity to a people who have no value?

God paid the ultimate price so that people could join Him in eternity. Letting your only Son be sacrificed is the ultimate price. Jesus showed the greatest love by giving His life for all of us. We would be devaluing God's love for us in His sacrifice if we didn't share the gospel.

I am sure that this writer doesn't know any of that. I just wish he or she wouldn't write a newspaper article on something which was not known by him or her. This just shows us how far we must go to share the gospel. Most people today in America do not know what it is to be a Christian. We have a long way to go in telling them. Let's get after it.

1 Corinthians 2:2 (NASB 2020) ² For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

God Often Calls When We Are Minding Our Own Business

 July 31, 2024

Wednesday

I was minding my own business in church when God spoke to me. He called me to go into the full-time ministry. That is He called me into the professional ministry. You know, the one in which people pay you. Everyone is called into the ministry. The only question is how you will finance it. I talked with the pastor and he agreed with me that I should bite the bullet, go to seminary and pursue the ministry. I did not knowing where it would take me.

I was minding my own business when someone knocked on my office door. I was in a church that had a vacancy in the senior pastor position. That someone told me that each of the staff was being asked to preach services. I was the Singles Minister. I was pretty for down the food chain. They gave me a Wednesday night to begin. This church also owned a television station. Even the Wednesday night services were televised over the air. I agreed, never thinking that I would preach on a regular basis. God worked on me in that sermon. A couple of weeks later, God specifically called me to pursue preaching.

I wanted to preach but no church would contact me. No one wanted me to be their preacher. God still had more to do with me until I would get that opportunity. I knew my ministry was over where I was. I knew that God had something else for me. I told Him I would go anywhere and do any job. A couple of days later, churches started to contact me to be their Singles Minister. I made my mind up to go to a church in Louisiana but I needed to interview with a church in Tennessee because a friend had recommended me. The Louisiana interview was the next weekend. While in a hotel in Tennessee, minding my own business, God enter the room and spoke very clearly to me. I sent back the plane ticket to Louisiana before the Tennessee church contacted me again. I agreed with Him that I would go there. All He needed to do was convince the Tennessee church.

Ten months after I went to the church in Tennessee, the pastor left. Several months later the church called an incredible pastor. I was sure he didn't want me around. I was minding my own business when he said he wanted to go to lunch with me. "This is it," I thought, "Surely, he'll fire me." Instead, he asked me to become the church administrator.

I could go on but I think you may have gotten the point. God pursued me. I am no Moses. I am no Gideon. I am no David. But as sure as He came for them, He came for me. What I have realized is that I am not special. God pursues a deep relationship with each of us. It always happens when we agree to walk with Him. It isn't just the euphoria of a worship service in which we know Him. It is when we join Him.

He wants you to join Him, too. So, how about it? Do you just happen to be minding your own business and God calls?

Exodus 3:1–4 (NASB 2020) ¹ Now Moses was pasturing the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed. ³ So Moses said, “I must turn aside and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burning up!” ⁴ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Lift Up Someone Today

 July 30, 2024

Tuesday

I have been guilty of a lot of things as a preacher. I have preached such hard messages that people wept. I'll admit that people need to weep over their sins. We will never be the broken people God uses without being broken over our sins. However, I have preached that too much. I realize now that most people need encouragement. They don't need someone telling them how bad they are all the time.

We truly need to encourage people to continue on with the Lord. We truly need to encourage people to get on the path with the Lord. Simply telling them how far they are missing the mark doesn't always help. 

I realized this when I was going through a hard time. I was getting criticism from just about everyone at church. Nothing seemed to go right. I didn't need to be told all the things I was doing wrong. Truthfully, there were too many to list. Knowing them didn't help. Doing what the Lord was telling me to do was way more important. Focusing on Him rather than on my problems was getting me nowhere. I was circling the drain and hope was fading God pulled me out of that position. I cannot thank Him enough. But that's not all. God wants me to encourage others who are going through very difficult times. Yes, they may be their own enemies but they need to know who is on their side. My job is to tell them that God is on their side when they are on His.

This past week, I preached a message of encouragement in why discouraging things happen and how someone can defeat discouragement. The number of people who came to thank me was amazing. I am not a great preacher but you would have thought I was by what they said. I gave them God's word on what He is doing as they walk with Him. I told them how Satan desires to cause them to doubt the truth, deny the truth and disobey the truth. Evidently, this is the message many people needed. They were struggling with life's difficulties. Some of them were circling the drain they needed to hear that God would give them a way to stand up under the strain. They needed to hear that when they only see hills that are difficult to climb that there is another side to that hill.

If things are going wrong. If death is all that you can see. There is another side to the hill. The best is yet to come for those who belong to Him. Even death cannot defeat the believer. People need to hear this because that is not what the world tells them. There is no hope beyond this world given by this world. This world says that this is all there is. Believing that is depressing. People need to be encouraged to walk with God and see the great things He will do. The end of this life will be the best of days. 

So, I want to be that encourager that mentions sin as the reason that Jesus died. The one who tells people they must have Jesus to walk with Him forever. The one who helps them get on the path and stay on the path. 

I think you have someone you can tell that to, also. 

Romans 8:31 (NASB 2020) ³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

When Jesus Is Revealed

 July 29, 2024

Monday

Satan is a defeated angel who seeks to hurt God anyway he can. He is formidable but he is not omnipotent, omniscient nor omni-present. He has a myriad of demons who support him but he cannot act without God's permission. Yes, God gives him permission for the purpose of strengthening His followers. God wants us to walk with Him. Trials will either bring us much closer than anything will or they will find us falling into the temptations of the devil to get off the the path in which we walk with God. Endurance on this path results in praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:6–7 (NASB 2020) ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

James tells us that faithfully walking through these trials will also result in endurance for ourselves. That means we will be stronger in our faith than we were before. God wants us growing in our faith. He wants us to have more faith each day. Faith is not an off and on switch. It grows and shrinks. God intends for us to know Him. Walking with Him through tough trials accomplishes this.

James 1:2–3 (NASB 2020) ² Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

There are always limits to the trials. They are never intended for us to fail in them. This, also, accomplishes God's purpose. We know that there is a limit and must know there is a limit or there is no reason to go on. We need to know that we can make it through these trials. That same word translated "trials" in the past two passages is translated "temptation" in the passage by Paul.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB 2020) ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

God has a way to endure the trials that bring the temptation. Sometimes that means telling God you can't do it without Him. You need God's strength. That's how you stand up under difficulties.

Philippians 4:13 (NASB 2020) ¹³ I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

All of this is the truth. Satan always wants to keep us away from the truth because he can see us defeated if we stray from the truth. His plan has never changed. He causes you to doubt the truth, deny the truth and disobey the truth. Look at the story of  Adam and Eve. Satan caused Eve to doubt the truth. Then, he denied the truth. Adam and Eve examined the tree they were supposed to avoid eating from and ate. Once the truth is gone, Satan has won.

Trials are coming your way. I can guarantee it. Faithfulness is very possible for His followers. I can guarantee that, too. But just because you know you can be faithful doesn't mean you must. That's your part. Look for the praise, honor and glory when Jesus is revealed.

Who Are You Hanging With?

 July 28, 2024

Sunday

I know that Jesus ate with sinners. The truth is, we are all sinners and if He ate with anyone, He was eating with a sinner. The religious people of the day used this to accuse Him of being one of them. He wasn't. Now, lots of people use this as their basis for running with those who don't know the Lord. Yes, I have heard them say that they are witnessing to them. I have yet to see one of their friends come to know the Lord. (They also use the "I become all things to all people" to excuse their activities with those who don't know the Lord.)

So, should we run with the people who don't know the Lord or hang with the people who do. The answer is complicated.

The future of whether a churched student will become like the unchurched students is largely determined by who he make friends with the first two weeks of each semester. Peer pressure is enormously compelling each of us to act like those around us. That's why we all have similar accents if we grew up in a certain area. We mimic those around us to talk like they talk. We want to fit in.

On the other hand, how will we ever have the opportunity to share Christ with people if we are never around them? We won't.

So, is there a principle that we can follow when it comes to being around those who do not know the Lord? I think there is. We cannot become so close that we identify with them. That means that we can be around them for awhile but not for a very long while without being around those who know the Lord and act like it. We must not lose our way.

Now, that would apply to anyone we are coached by too. We cannot identify so much with a teacher or a coach who has no integrity so that we become like that teacher or coach. There have been many solidly believing college students who have been led astray by professors and coaches. There must be a discernment that goes beyond the maturity of the student to recognize that he or she is being swayed by these teachers and coaches. The more the involvement with those without integrity and faith, the more there is a need to be around and discipled by someone who is godly.

That is why each one of us needs an accountability partner. That is why the Bible tells us not to marry non-Christians. Your closest companion should be your spouse. That spouse should be able to tell you when you are letting things get out of hand. The non-Christian spouse will not only not do that but will applaud your walk away from the Lord.

Jesus identified with His Father so completely that He was able to eat with the sinners and not become one of them. He did so because He spent time with His Father. That must be you, too. Make friends with the lost but do not become like them. Make sure you have an accountability partner who will call your hand when you get too close. Watch that you are not sneaking around to be with someone who is bringing you down. Spend time daily with the Lord.

And make sure that you truly do share Christ with those you have made friends with.

2 Corinthians 6:14–18 (NASB 2020) ¹⁴ Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? ¹⁵ Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell among them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ¹⁷ “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “and do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. ¹⁸ “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.

Responding to God's Call

 July 27, 2024

Saturday

Have you ever thought that putting yourself down is an act of humility? Well, it isn't.

Putting yourself down can be as arrogant as telling others how great you are. Both are a focus on self. Humility is selflessness.

That's not the same as a description of your strengths and weaknesses. There are times when this is called for. It only needs to be announced when you are assessing whether you can accomplish something.

Okay, but are your strengths and weaknesses what you think they are? Do you evaluate these by what you like to do or do you evaluate them by what others tell you or do you evaluate them by the results? The answer is: None of the above.

Moses was called by God to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses looked at his abilities and determined that he couldn't do it. Yet, Moses abilities were given by God for a purpose. The abilities would change with the purpose. 

Some people say that Moses stuttered. This is an embarrassing disability that affects many. Yet, there are preachers who stutter who have done remarkable things. There are preachers with cerebral palsy who have given messages of hope and salvation to millions. Our abilities are given by God for a purpose. The very thing we think is disabling may be the very thing that enables us to do what God has called us to do.

Gideon was called by God to lead God's people against the Midianites. He saw his abilities in his family's stature. He was from the smallest of the small, how could he lead the people. After making sure that this was indeed God's call, he did exactly what God called him to do. 

How many people have come from impossible backgrounds to accomplish impossible things for God? They did so because God had a purpose for them that was beyond their background. DL Moody was uneducated but believed God called him. He often preached with bad grammar to thousands of people. Ultimately, God used him mightily. His uneducated background did not hold him back.

Joseph told his brothers and parents that they would all bow down to him someday. That was a vision given to him by God in a dream. He believed it. He did not know God's purpose in this at the time. It was arrogance to dwell on himself. Yet, God used even this to cause events that would lead to Joseph being the second in command in Egypt and ultimately save his family. In the end Joseph was a very humble man but it came after he had gone through severe trials. When he was brought before Pharaoh he did not claim an ability on his own but said that God would give Pharaoh the answer to his dreams.

Who we are in terms of our abilities, backgrounds and visions are inconsequential to God's purpose for us. Whether we write the "Purpose Driven Life" to be read by millions or clean a small country church is inconsequential to our value before God. God can make a donkey speak. It isn't about the speaker but God who calls and enables through the obedience of those He calls.

I have said many times: God has great things planned for His people. This is true but I failed to recognize what great things are. Great things are doing what God has called each of us to do. Whatever that is, we simply do it for His glory and His glory is always a great thing.

Each day we either ignore or answer God's call. The answer is not according to our abilities. God calls us to give Him glory today.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB 2020) ¹¹ For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Those Who Are Biblical

 July 26, 2024

Friday

I have a question for you. Was Jesus biblical? I am asking if Jesus not only knew the Bible but He followed what the Bible said. The answer is absolutely, but that doesn't mean there were people who wouldn't call Him a liberal. He knew what the Bible said and intended to say. The others gave their human interpretations without knowing the intention nor the full explanation which comes from knowing the whole Bible.

As I have gotten older in the faith, I have changed many of my understandings of what the Bible says. None of these new understandings involve salvation or who Jesus is. That is solid and settled. No, these changes have come about through the study of the scriptures which give a greater picture of what the Bible says and the culture in which the Bible was written. 

For example, my understanding of the woman who was caught in adultery has changed. I thought the purpose of that story was to prevent people from judging others years ago. Later, I found out that it had far deeper meanings. The men who brought her to the Temple for condemnation caught her in the act. They either knew she would be caught by them or they set her up. The Jews understood that knowing a person was sinning without warning them involved them in the sin. They also knew that setting her up involved them in the sin. When Jesus commanded those who had not sinned to cast the first stone they were convicted of their sin, dropped their stones and walked away. However, Jesus could have condemned her except for the fact that there were not two witnesses necessary to convict of a capital offense. So, Jesus didn't condemn her either. He, also, didn't let her off the hook. She was told not to sin anymore. Well, this would be extremely hard for the woman for she had to be married to have committed adultery according to the Jews. Since it was a public sin at this point, she was very likely to be divorced soon. Many divorced women had to resort to prostitution because other men didn't want them. Jesus command to her would not permit prostitution.  Life would not have been easy for her.

So, now when someone quotes, "You without a sin cast the first stone," I ask, "Why do you believe I was involved in a particular sin?" This is being biblical but it goes against what so many people have been taught.

I have determined that I will wash myself from the tradition if that's what it takes to be biblical. Sure, tradition is comfortable but it is the very thing that caused the most conservative people in New Testament times to miss who Jesus was and is. Yes, that does mean that some will call be liberal.  That's what they would have called Jesus, too.

We are not born-again as mature Christians. There is a walk that God expects us to take with Him. That humble walk will reveal God through His Word. It will depend upon the Holy Spirit to lead us in all truth. It will require change as we learn what the Scriptures say. It will separate us from the world more and more. And sometimes, it will separate us from those who want to call us liberal for not agreeing with them.

Strive to know what the Bible says. Study it and the culture to which it was written. Try your best to understand the message to the earliest of its readers. Let it speak without manipulating it for a predetermined interpretation. Meditate on it. Memorize it. And in all this, do not forget to live it.

Hebrews 4:12 (NASB 2020) ¹² For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Be of Good Courage

 July 25, 2024

Thursday

It's amazing how many times Jesus told us to be of good courage. Having remembered it a few times in the Bible I looked the word up. It has the basic sense "to dare" "to be bold." It carries the idea of trusting in someone or something. So, let's look at the instances it is used. (This is not exhaustive.)

When you are unable to do what you need to do, be of good courage.

Matthew 9:2 (NASB 2020 ² And they brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

No one can get forgiveness without Jesus. The man needed to be healed but Jesus gave him a greater miracle. He forgave his sins. You are unable to have your sins forgiven on your own. So, Jesus heals him to prove who He was. The man is now able because of what Jesus has done for him in healing and forgiveness.

When you are sick and have tried every normal avenue of healing, be of good courage.

Matthew 9:22 (NASB 2020 ²² But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” And at once the woman was made well.

A woman had been bleeding for years. She spent all that she had on doctors. They made matters worse. So, hearing of Jesus and believing what she has heard, she pushes forward in a crowd because she believed if she would touch His outer cloak, she would be healed. She had to know who He was to have had this faith. So, she left healed because of her faith.

When you are afraid, be of good courage.

Matthew 14:27 (NASB 2020) ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

The disciples see Jesus walking on the water and are immediately afraid. They think He might be a ghost. But their fears are assuaged when they hear His voice telling them to take courage. So, the disciples fear dissipated because they knew the voice of their Master.

When you don't know if you'll get to do what you believe you should do, be of good courage.

Acts 23:11 (NASB 2020) ¹¹ But on the following night, the Lord stood near him and said, “Be courageous! For as you have testified to the truth about Me in Jerusalem, so you must testify in Rome also.”

Paul wanted to go to Rome to share the gospel. However, he is presently in prison when Jesus appears before him. He is told to be courageous because the Lord is giving him an assurance that he will do what he has purposed to do. So, when you don't know if God will fulfill His word to you, you can be assured that He will. So, be courageous. 

When you don't think you can endure what is set before you, be of good courage.

John 16:33 (NASB 2020) ³³ These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus is leaving this world. His disciples will be discouraged. He tells them that they will have the tribulation He promises them. He tells them that they will be scattered. But He also tells them that He has overcome the world. So, when you don't think you can handle it, be of good courage. Then, the disciples shared the gospel so that it was the light shining in the darkness. The darkness was not able to overcome it.

I don't know what you will face today but I can share with you the words of Jesus. Be of good courage. Jesus has you in His hands. You too, will become an overcomer.

God Speaks with His Children

 July 24, 2024

Wednesday

There are some people that believe that God no longer speaks to His followers except directly through the Bible. In other words, the words that they read are the messages that God has for them. They make some great points but I have had other experiences when I know that God was speaking.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that God has ever contradicted the words in the Bible. He hasn't and won't. However, experiences need to be discerned. We may end up wondering if it was God when it wasn't or saying it wasn't God when it was. So, how do you tell?

The first way has already been stated. God will not violate what He has already said. At this point someone will say that God did that when He told Peter to eat foods that had been considered unclean. While that is true, the point of the Acts story is that the Gentiles would be offered salvation without first becoming Jews. The Christian Jews struggled with that concept. Their practice as Jews made it seem like this could not be the case. It took the Apostles to straighten all of this out. So, what do we learn from that story? As long as God was making a people unto Himself, He had strict dietary laws. Once the gates were opened to all peoples, He relaxed those laws.  

The great difference is that we have a completed Bible today. It has the Old Testament and New Testament intact. There will not be any more Bible written. The Bible is a settled issue as the word of God and will not be added to.

However, once we get beyond right and wrong, does God say more to us individually. Yes, is the answer. How can you say that Jesus wants a personal relationship with us and also say that He never speaks to us. Often we will hear God when we pray. Our spirits listen to His Spirit. He made our spirits alive when we trusted in Christ. His Spirit is made to live in us and will be with us always. Often the Spirit clarifies a scripture. Often that scripture is applied to us. Often we are told exactly what we must do without our names appearing in the scriptures.

I also have stories of godly people coming to me to give me a message from God. I have also heard sermons when that has happened. God uses godly people like He did in the scriptures to come to His people to tell them what they must do.

Lastly, God speaks through circumstances. It is here that we must be the most careful. We can interpret everything as God's message if we let this one go to seed. There is nothing wrong with asking God for confirmation here. However, God aligns circumstances to produce the message He has for us. We need to ask the question: What events am I sure that God has been working? When we know the answer here, we can go forward to see what He is doing. You will see that God has prepared you for this moment. You act because He has prepared you.

I know that God speaks to you if you know Him. 

Jeremiah 33:3 (NASB 2020) ³ ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Almost or Always

 July 23, 2024

Tuesday

If you almost catch the bus, you are left standing on the sidewalk. If you almost passed the test, you failed. If you almost caught the pass, it went incomplete. Almost may be close but it also negates the accomplishment.

Avoiding all the almosts in life is not possible. That doesn't make all things impossible. It just makes perfection in everything impossible. Most people believe that sin is inevitable. They excuse their lives if they are almost righteous in their actions. But sin is not inevitable. It is avoidable but demands perfection if perfection is the standard.

Here are some things that you shouldn't use almost for. You should not be almost saved. This is not an accomplishment for you. It is receiving what God has for you. God wants you to be in His presence. He wants you to have a relationship with Him. He sent His Son to die to pay the price of sin so that you would not need to be perfect or even almost perfect.

You should not be almost forgiven by God. That payment for your sin has already granted you forgiveness. It is never what you do that grants forgiveness from anyone. It is found in the Person who forgives.

Your justice will not be almost complete. The full payment for the sins that you have committed were paid by Christ on the Cross. Justice has indeed been served when we consider our sin.

You have not almost received grace. God's amazing grace comes to you. You either accepted it or not. This is like a light switch. It is or it isn't. It is never almost.

You should not almost have God present. He is always present with you. You should not have God almost think of you. He is always thinking of you. You aren't  almost loved by Him. He has always loved you.

Almost is not what God has for us. God is the only One who can say that almost has never happened for Him. God has the hands of the always, not the almost.

Hebrews 7:25 (NASB 2020) ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Will Jesus Find Faith When He Returns?

 July 22, 2024

Monday

Luke 18:1–8 (NASB 2020) ¹ Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged, ² saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person. ³ Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ ⁴ For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect any person, ⁵ yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice; otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge said; ⁷ now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and will He delay long for them? ⁸ I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

This is a very interesting parable and must be read carefully. Parables typically have one point. This one seems to have more.

Prayer provides protection from discouragement. Jesus says that we should always pray and not become discouraged. Discouragement seems to be waiting for us. It appears to take advantage of those who fail to pray. Things go wrong all the time. Plans get scrubbed. Cars break down. Houses burn down. Jobs get canned. Wrecks happen. Children get sick. Parents die. It just doesn't seem right that those who are loved by God would receive so many bad things.

Yet, why shouldn't we have bad things to us? It isn't like we've been so good that bad things shouldn't happen. It isn't like we have been so good that we won't get discouraged by them. 

Persistent prayer is key to the type of prayer we need to avoid discouragement. Discouragement never takes a day off. Some days aren't bad but they aren't permanent either. Jesus also said that we will have tribulations in this world. I don't think many people will argue with that.

In the parable, Jesus speaks of a widow because she has no means of manipulating things to go her way. She can only continue to ask. The persistence is used to get an unrighteous judge to give her justice. This judge doesn't have compassion for man nor does He have any fear of God. He knows nothing of justice. He, on the other hand doesn't want to be bothered. The woman has faith that her persistence will win the day. God is a righteous judge. He doesn't need the persistence to wear Him down. She needs the persistence to show her faith.

She will receive what she has prayed for. It is faith in action.

Jesus asks if He will find faith on the earth. Will He find people praying? Prayer is evidence of faith.

So, is there much faith on earth? When a prayer meeting is called, only a few people show up if they aren't scared of something happening.  People came after 911 but not so much since then. We all thought that America had made a turn toward God. She didn't. She just wanted to be protected. 

Sure, we hear that people pray but we hardly see it in their faith. That must change.

Everyone Needs Jesus

 July 21, 2024

Sunday

I heard a guy tell me that he knew he was going to heaven because the world was a better place because of him. I have also heard people give the popular assessment that all people are basically good. But just yesterday I got an alert on my computer that said that it had been taken over. I was not to get out of the program I was in. I would be required to pay someone to unlock my computer. It was all a scam.

I also have had people call me from the Microsoft center to tell me that I had a serious problem with my computer when I didn't own a computer running Microsoft. I have had someone call saying that sheriff had been dispatched to arrest me if I didn't pay them immediately. I just read a Wall Street Journal story that said these scammers are using AI now and can't be caught so easily.

Yeah, everyone's basically good, right?

That is not what the Bible says.

Romans 3:23 (NASB 2020) ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

1 John 1:8 (NASB 2020) ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

It is a nice thought that everyone is good but there must be a different definition of good if we are going to say they are good. I believe most people think that they are good. And, they are by the standard of goodness that they deem themselves good. However, there is not one of us who hasn't sinned. There is not one of us who has completely reached the glory of God. There is not one of us who doesn't need a Savior who will die for our sins.

Sure, some people are worse than others. But those who join the company of the self-righteous are deceiving themselves. Those who believe that they are acting viciously toward "sinners" often never consider their own sins.

I heard of two big-time preachers who had to resign recently because of their sins. Those who applaud these failures in character cannot understand who they are in reality. There is no sin beyond any of us even though there are sins that we have not committed. We should be praying for these men and their families. We should be praying for their congregations. We have no right to be in the company of the self-righteous. We never earned the title. Righteousness was given to us by Jesus. We should never forget that.

I have heard members of my congregation talk about me like I don't know what sin is. They have no idea. I have always needed the payment that Jesus made for me on the cross. I am no better than others. Sure, like I said, there are some sins that I haven't committed. There are too many that I have committed to condemn others for the ones I haven't committed. I live in grace. I should be giving that out to others too.

Why Do Only Some Come to Christ?

 July 20, 2024

Saturday

Everyone should trust in Jesus and come to know Him. It seems like so much sense to me. Of course, I am on the other side of this equation. I have come to know Him and want others to know Him. Some will and some won't. Some will criticize me for wanting them to know Him. They might come up with outlandish reasons for my desire. They may even make me the villain in the story. It might be because of my pride or something else I would get out of their relationship with Christ. This, too, makes no sense to me.

It always amazes me to see people who come to Christ. They will hear the same message as the people who sits next to them. They trust in Christ while the others walk away unaffected. There doesn't seem to be a pattern. The ones who trust in Christ are neither better nor worse than those who don't. They are no more desperate either. Somehow, they are convicted by the Holy Spirit of their sins and seek relief. They know they are lost and need direction in their lives. 

My only explanation is that those who will not trust in Christ have determined not to trust in Christ. They see trusting in Christ as a failure. They see it as superstition. They see it as being left out of where they would like to go in life. They see it as squeezing all the fun out. Since they don't want that, they don't want Christ.

Often, I read newspaper articles that tell what people hate about Christians. These articles are very narrow minded. They claim that all Christians do what the articles are about. That is ludicrous! People like to categorize. It makes them think life is more stable if they can understand it. But saying that all people of anything makes no sense. You might as well say that all rich people are  full of pride and all poor people are humble. Shouldn't we all know that this makes no sense?

Yet, I don't think it is the negative press that is keeping people from Christ either. Surely, some Christians have been so hypocritical that no one would trust in Christ because of them. Yet, there are those trying their best to walk with Christ. They project the image of a true Christian. Their examples win some to Christ while others remain determined to reject Him.

I honestly believe that many Christians don't care if another person is baptized in their churches. I honestly believe that many Christians have never seen one person come to Christ because of their witness. I honestly believe that seeing people come to Christ isn't in their top twenty things they want in life. Why do I believe this? Where are the tears? Where are the prayers? Who is calling out for God to bring their friends and family to Christ? The funny thing is that most people will feel guilty and share Christ with someone and have their guilt relieved. What we all must do is determine as strongly as those who don't know Christ to know Christ fully. If we are as determined as they are in our seeking His face, we will be so changed that we will see people come to Christ.

Yes, some people come to Christ because of a message. Many others come to Christ because of a testimony. Yet, some will still not believe. They remain a mystery to me.

Luke 11:27–28 (NASB 2020) ²⁷ While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that carried You, and the breasts at which You nursed!” ²⁸ But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it.”

We Can't Make Things Right But We Can Be Forgiven

 July 19, 2024

Friday

We must admit that we haven't escaped the ability to sin. It may make us sick as our stomachs. We may not have been unintentional. It may have been something that has come upon us slowly. We may have acted on an impulse. The worst sins are those in which we hurt others. We always hurt ourselves. So, we set about to make it right. The truth is that no one can make a sin right. No matter how many right things we do, the wrong thing cannot be undone. Too many people are captured by the guilt They are left unforgiven by others. They may even have trouble forgiving themselves. Even Christians have a hard time understanding forgiveness.

God has forgiven us for our sins. That does not take away the fact that He is a just God. Forgiveness is about establishing and maintaining a good relationship. It is created through the relationship we have with Christ. It releases the image of God that is within us. God is forgiving. We have that same forgiveness within us because we are created in His image. An evidence of a restored relationship with God is forgiving others.

Yet, on the other side of this equation is the fact that God is just. Restoring that relationship meant that our sins needed to be carried far away from us. As long as they clung to us, we were always condemned. Jesus died on the cross and was declared victorious in the resurrection for justice to be served. It did not make our sins good. It paid for them. There is a difference. 

I know that some people say that Jesus made it as if we had never sinned, but that does not remove our memories. We know that we have sinned. We know that we are forgiven. The sins are not held against us. So, God will never bring them up again. However, that doesn't mean that God has a hole in His memory either. He is so perfect in His justice and forgiveness that He choses not to think of our sins when He sees us. He sees the sacrifice of Jesus that paid for those sins.

If we establish that relationship with God through our forgiveness, the release of forgiveness for those things done against us follows. It isn't that complicated. We are free to assume the image of God that includes forgiveness. Those who don't forgive aren't forgiven. This is a condition that we may grow in but it is absolutely necessary to understand our own forgiveness.

We must understand that we can't make our sins right. We must understand that we are forgiven by grace. We must understand the price that is paid. We must understand that believing in Jesus is more than believing He is the Son of God. It is coming to know Him as evidenced by our own forgiving others.

We simply are not His if we fail to get this. So, we forgive again and again and again. We visualize the sins against us being carried by Jesus to the cross. We say that we forgive by the blood of Jesus. Yes, we say it out loud. And we keep doing so until we forgive. We do the same thing when it is us who can't forgive us. We can't make sin right but we can be forgiven.

Matthew 6:14–15 (NASB 2020) ¹⁴ “For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.

Romans 5:1 (NASB 2020) ¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Lord Is Fighting for You

 July 18, 2024

Thursday

I was an awkward kid. I didn't fit in the popular group. I was one of the youngest in my class. I didn't know how to act because I was so much older than my siblings and played by myself most of the time because we lived in the country with no other kids near us. That didn't keep me from wanting to be somebody.  

I had many jobs while in high school. One was working in a drive-up hamburger place. One of the popular girls in my high school worked with me. She had something minor that happened while we worked. I really can't remember what it was. It could have been a button coming off of her shirt. It seemed minor to me. What surprised me was her saying, "Why does this always happen to me?!" To me, her life was perfect. Yet, to her, bad things happened to her all the time.

Of course, a lot of this has to do with adolescence. At that age, we were always the center of our own attention. We fully expected that things go always right for some people and always wrong for us. It wasn't true but we didn't know how to notice what was going right. These moments seemed to come so rarely.

Yet, we may not have gotten over this. We set our sights on a new goal. We fail miserably. We try harder and things get worse. We pray with all our might and God gives us silence. At least, that's how we see it. We can't see the grace because we are too close to the situation. We don't realize what God is doing because we can't see Him doing it. Then, we assume that He is doing nothing.

When the Egyptians chased after God's people backed up against the sea, the people thought that they had been abandoned. They thought that they would be destroyed. They had seen God move in the ten plagues but they couldn't see Him moving at the moment. They complained to Moses. Moses knew that God didn't lead them this far to leave them. He knew that God would rescue them Himself. They merely need to be obedient and go forward when forward seemed to be the wrong direction.

We must remember that these people had been under the thumb of Pharaoh. They always got the wrong end of the stick. Their thinking was conditioned by this. They were like the Eeyore character in Winnie-the-Pooh who expected bad things to follow him wherever he went. Yet, that is not what happened. God had this right from the beginning.

Now, I don't know what might be going wrong for you, but eventually they will. You may pray with all your might and get nothing but silence. You might try harder and fail worse. But I want you to remember this: God is working right now to bring you a testimony of faithfulness. Of course, you will need to be faithful. He is fighting for you. never forget that. Never! Never! Never! Never!

Exodus 14:8–15 (NASB 2020) ⁸ So the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly. ⁹ Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. ¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!” ¹³ But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will perform for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again, ever. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, while you keep silent.” ¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.

Tears When You Rebuke Someone

 July 17, 2024

Wednesday

Unfortunately, my responsibility as a minister has involved firing people from their jobs at churches. I still remember the first time I had to perform this unpleasant task. I prayed for a different solution. I hurt within my heart as I told the person that she was no longer employed at the church. I prayed that God would never let me do something like this again without the same hurt that I felt that first time. Though I haven't terminated people often, I have felt that pain each time. I am glad for it. I believe the person who brags about such an act is far from the heart of God. No matter what, this is a person that Jesus died for. That person is precious. Who am I to treat one of God's children with callousness?

The scribes, Pharisees and priests reasoned that Jesus needed to die so that they would not lose their positions and that the Jews would not lose their privileges among the Romans. The Jewish people were allowed to call only Yahweh God. They were tolerated by the Romans. The Romans could seek to eliminate the Jews. They decided it was better that Jesus died than the whole nation be lost. Their callousness was their downfall. They saw Jesus as someone in their way. He had no value for them and they did not consider His value to God.

Sometimes it seems like that spirit prevails among some Christians. Of course, we need to point out those who will lead Christians astray, but we should not treat them with callousness. If they are enemies, we are called to love and pray for them. While we should point out their errors, we cannot callously call them worthless. We cannot brag about dismissing them. We should pray for them.

I haven't seen much of this. I see people pointing out the errors of the false teachers without a word of praying for these people. I see them dismissing these false teachers without any tears. If these false teachers were able to gather such crowds with lies, what could they do with the truth?

I certainly don't want to be like the people who had Jesus crucified. I believe their attitude was never to converse with Jesus to know Him. They simply wanted Him to comply with who they were. Their attitudes were the reason that Jesus opposed them.

Honestly, we have trouble hating the sin while loving the sinner. We would like to keep them at a distance. We would like to forget about them. We would like to point out errors without saying even one prayer for them. But if we act this way, are we truly on the side of Jesus?

John 11:47–50 (NASB 2020) ⁴⁷ Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council meeting, and they were saying, “What are we doing in regard to the fact that this man is performing many signs? ⁴⁸ If we let Him go on like this, all the people will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take over both our place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, ⁵⁰ nor are you taking into account that it is in your best interest that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish instead.”

Consequential Christians

 July 16, 2024

Tuesday

Are you a consequential Christian? Let me explain.

You have always been in church. You can't remember the first time you went because your parents took you while you were still a baby. Consequentially, you came to know Christ at an early age. You made your commitment with the rest of the people your age. Consequentially, you were baptized at the beginning of a worship service. Consequentially, you went to Sunday School and remained active throughout high school.

Consequentially, you graduated from high school and either got training for a job in college, trade school or on-the-job training. Consequentially, you moved out of your parents' house. Consequentially, you didn't have anyone watching whether you went to church. Consequentially, you go when you want to. Missing church is not big deal. However, you might accept the position of deacon or elder in the church if you were asked. Consequentially, you wouldn't be committed to the position because you weren't committed to the church. 

Morality is not about avoiding the appearance of evil but not getting caught in the evil. Consequentially, excuses are made for any flaw in behavior. You were forced into it somehow. Consequentially, you really think of yourself as a good Christian. You are still a member of a church and you have been baptized. What more is there to do?

Consequentially, you have never led a soul to Christ. Consequentially, you tip God rather than tithe. Consequentially, you are not so sure of your own salvation. Consequentially, you act like those you are with rather than who you are if you really knew Christ.

Consequentially, all this Christian stuff doesn't make a lot of sense when you think of it. Consequentially, you can't hear the message of loving God with everything you are. Consequentially, it all seems meaningless.

What would happen if you truly loved the Lord? All that you do would be for the Lord. It would make life meaningful. It would solidify your salvation. It would make you think you are not worthy to take the position of deacon or elder. It would eliminate all the excuses for the sins that have been committed. You would be committed to the Lord first and then the church. All of this would be swimming upstream. There would be nothing consequential about any of it.

Mark 12:30 (NASB 2020) ³⁰ and you shall love the lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

Taking Up Your Cross Today

 July 15, 2024

Monday

I just did some maintenance on my wife's car. I changed the oil and oil filter. I restored the headlights by cleaning the oxidation from the outer surface. I changed out the cabin air filter and checked the other fluids in the car. To top it off, I vacuumed the car thoroughly. Yes, I know I could have taken this where someone would have done all of this for a fee. I promise that I saved quite a bit of money for I put the best of all these things in the car and I know that it was done right. There is satisfaction in knowing that a good job has been done.

The car would have run without this maintenance. Sure, the engine light would have come on soon to remind me that the oil needed to be changed. I could have turned that off and kept on truckin'. Eventually, the lack of maintenance would have left us on the side of the road. The cost would have been much more than a few quarts of oil, filters and some fluid top offs.

That brings me to why I write this blog daily. I certainly don't do it to prove anything theological or thoroughly answer biblical questions. If you have read it, you know that by now. I do so because I and you must do some maintenance every day or we will eventually be stuck on the side of the road with no AAA to call. Each day requires a reset.

My wife worked in a lab years ago. Each morning she would run tests manually to make sure that the million dollar machines who ran these test automatically were working properly. If not, the machines needed an adjustment. Again, each day we will need an adjustment if we are to continue walking closely with our Lord.

Jesus told us: 

Luke 9:23 (NASB 2020) ²³ And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Do you think that Jesus told us that this should be done daily for no reason? No, He knew we needed to make this adjustment every day. He knew that the commitment would slip away if we simply took up our crosses on Sundays. If we want to keep walking with Him we must take up our crosses daily.

So, I die to myself and want to help others do the same. The most fulfilling life we can live is not a life lived selfishly. It is denying self.

And, being very honest, I must make this adjustment daily.

For Such a Time as This

 July 14, 2024

Sunday

Those who walk with God, walk with Him humbly or they don't walk with God. God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. It is extreme grace to be able to walk with God. If you are anything like me, you have heard stories of great people who walked with God and did great things. You may have read of DL Moody or Charles Spurgeon or Hudson Taylor and thought they were great men because they had a greatness that was endowed upon them at birth. Surely, you have read the story of John, the Baptist and thought they must have been something like him. If that is true then the rest of us are off the hook. We can't do great things so why should we bother ourselves with them?

Yet, when we read the stories of God's calling, we see people who did not aspire to greatness nor did they think of themselves as great. When Moses was called He asked: "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" He clearly didn't see himself as endowed with the greatness that God could see in him.

When the angel called Gideon to confront the Midianites, he replied: "O Lord, how am I to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest  in my father's house." Again, we see someone who doesn't know his greatness. We see God calling humble people to do the really significant things.

Now, before I go on let me say this: I have never known a humble person who knew he was humble. So, if you think that you aren't up to the task that God has for you, you may just be in the best place you can be. When you know that you can't do it but must do it you are forced to rely on God's strength and work. This is the most powerful thing we can do.

Sometimes people won't answer the call of God because they can't imagine that God would call them. They think: "I'm nothing special. God would never call me to do something special." But if you were to assess where you are and what you are doing right now, couldn't God call you to do something that only you could do because He has placed you where you need to be? Maybe the problem isn't that God hasn't called you but that you wouldn't listen because you saw yourself as nothing special when God called you to something special.

Is this the time for God to do something great through you? I believe that the answer is, "Yes!" I don't know what God has called His people to do other than make disciples. I do know that you may disciple someone who will change the lives of thousands. I do know that God could call you to personally change the lives of thousands.

In the Book of Esther, Haman has derived a plot to eliminate the Jews. Mordecai knows of this plot and comes to Esther to thwart Haman's plans. She is Queen but that doesn't mean that she can make the King do as she wishes. Mordecai knows that God will preserve the Jews. As he comes to her he asks:

 Esther 4:14 (NASB 2020) ¹⁴ For if you keep silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

For such a time as this, are you called by God to do something great? I think so. You may be the reason I wrote this blog today. 

Can the Rich Be Saved?

 July 13, 2024

Saturday

Mark 10:24–27 (NASB 2020) ²⁴ And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus responded again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ And they were even more astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

The common explanation of this story is that there is a small entrance into Jerusalem where camels must be unloaded and on their knees before they can enter. The preacher says that this proves that a rich man can only be saved in humility. I have a lot of trouble with this explanation. 

My first objection is that there is no evidence of an eye of the needle being recorded in Jerusalem until about 1000 AD. It makes no sense that Jesus would be talking of something that wasn't common knowledge. It is pretty much after this time that the previous explanation of the salvation of the rich came into being. It makes for a great story but it does not explain what Jesus said.

Secondly,  no person who believes his salvation can be bought will be saved. It will not be because the rich has given great gifts or crawled on his knees that he is saved. He is saved by grace. Thinking that you can act to be saved whether it is repeating a prayer or kissing the soles of the priests puts salvation squarely on what you do.

A third objection comes from trying to make sure the rich get saved. I have been told many times that I should make a point of getting the rich in church by other members. It seems that all rules can be bent if you are well heeled. This explanation gives an opening for the rich. They may say that they are humble even though they are rich but I have never known a humble person who thought he deserved something because he was humble.

No, I believe that Jesus' words were exactly what they appear to be. It is as impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a sewing or surgical needle. This is why the disciples couldn't understand how anyone can be saved because at what point in a person rich? The answer Jesus gives is always the best: “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

Salvation is a miracle. It is the calling of God that is answered by the spirit of man. Man who is totally depraved listens and responds or resists. God does the work if the person doesn't resist. Money may get in the way. It certainly did for the rich, young ruler to whom this explanation of rich entering heaven preceded. But let's not stop there. Jobs can get in the way. Family can get in the way. Plans can get in the way. Anything that we place between us and God will get in the way.

Yes, the rich can be saved because God is still in the miracle business. But they may not think they need to be saved. They may see their heaven right here on earth. If so, they will not be saved. It will not matter how much they may have given in terms of money if the Lord has never had their souls.

Right now, pray that you know that the Lord knows you. Pray that your soul is His. (You see, to someone else, you may be a rich person.) Let the Lord answer you and tell you that you are His. Then, rejoice for a miracle is in you!

 

The Letter Kills, But the Spirit Gives Life

 July 12, 2024

Friday

Jesus had trouble with the scribes and Pharisees. It wasn't simply that they opposed Him. Their teaching would lead people to hell. Let's look at that.

Matthew 23:15 (NASB 2020) ¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

The scribes and Pharisees saw salvation as something to be grasped by meticulously keeping the law. In other words, their salvation was based on keeping the law rather that obeying God. Now, you ask, is there a difference? Yes, indeed.

Obedience to God requires some contact with Him to know what He wants you to do. It means that you must have a relationship with Him that goes beyond simply believing in Him. You must know Him. Abraham would be declared as righteous even before the law was established by Moses.

James 2:21–23 (NASB 2020) ²¹ Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.

Abraham acted on his faith. He did so because he believed God. This was credited to him as righteousness even though it had nothing to do with the law. He knew God so well that he was called a friend of God.

The scribes and Pharisees, on the other hand, took the law of Moses and created a system of laws which if followed did not require knowing God. Their learning of God was that of the intellect rather than spiritual encounters with Him. When they made a convert, that convert was not pointed to a relationship with God but one with the law. Thus, they rested in their condemnation for they could not be saved by their own works.

Paul would express it this way:

2 Corinthians 3:4–6 (NASB 2020) ⁴ Such is the confidence we have toward God through Christ. ⁵ Not that we are adequate in ourselves so as to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, ⁶ who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The letter of the law kills. It leaves the person condemned because the Spirit compels us to receive Christ. We know His forgiveness and we receive our salvation through it.

Be careful of those who seek keeping a law over the relationship with Christ. Those who cry for conforming to the law (even if it is a new law that they have made) will not lead us to spread the gospel. They will be like the scribes and Pharisees who make their converts twice the sons of hell.

Are You Perfected by the Flesh?

 July 11, 2024

Thursday

Galatians 3:2–3 (NASB 2020) ² This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

It seems that some want to return to keeping the law as a means of salvation. They condemn those who do not do as they say the scriptures dictate. Sure, there should be fundamentals that we all believe and follow. We must know that Jesus is the only means of salvation. We must know He was resurrected and all of His miracles were real. We must know He is coming back. We must all believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. 

It seems that the question at hand is whether we can interpret something differently that does not fall into the fundamentals. Of course, this too must become reasonable. One simply can't say that Adam flew like a bird because he had dominion over the birds of the sky. And we need to carefully consider any doctrine that is based on one or two scriptures without support from the rest of the Bible. I Corinthians 15: 29 asks why people are baptized for the dead. Do we start baptizing for the dead because of this one scripture? I think not! The rest of the Bible does not support that.

So, we must understand that we agree on the fundamentals but give grace where we disagree in interpretations. We must never make doctrines out of issues that are not supported by other scriptures. We must understand that people come from different levels of education and traditions. There are some things that have been engrained into people that cannot be eliminated. There are those who will not wear jewelry and those who will not eat at church. They have their reasons. They believe they are following the Bible. 

I, personally, do not drink alcohol. It is not a sin for those who drink in moderation. The absence of alcohol for me is a limited fast. I don't drink alcohol as a commitment to the Lord. I don't think others must follow my example. It is what I do. Should I impose that as a rule for others I have returned to a righteousness from law. 

Unfortunately, people want to impose their personal beliefs and long-held interpretations on others. It just seems right to them. But for me, I want to be biblical. I want the Bible to determine what is right. Yet, if others have different views but can support that with their own biblical interpretations, I will fellowship with them. I may not agree on a particular issue, but I will agree on the fundamentals that cause us to be Christians. 

I am a Christian because I know Jesus. I am justified by His sacrifice. I will never be perfected by keeping rules or laws. Praise God for that. I would never be good enough to be justified if that was the case. I am made free from the law that condemns me.

Let Everything You Do Be Done with the Lord.

 July 10, 2024

Wednesday

Luke 10:38–42 (NASB 2020) ³⁸ Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself? Then tell her to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

I know I have written about this more than a couple of times before but it came up again for me yesterday. It occurred to me that Martha was so busy serving the Lord that she had no time for Him. Serving the Lord without without Him is nothing but a chore. The Lord wants us to serve Him with Him. That is why He would tell us John 15: 5.

John 15:5 (NASB 2020) ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

How could Martha have served the Lord with the Lord? She could by focusing on the Lord rather than the task at hand. In other words, she could have made sure what her motivation was. For those whose motivation is to look good, looking good is all that matters. For those who are seeking to make others happy, their happiness is all that matters. For those who are seeking to do the will of the Lord, that will will win out. In fact, those who are seeking to do the will of the Lord will not see the tasks at hand as chores. They will be opportunities.

There is another thing that I learned from this yesterday. We can get so busy that we aren't doing the will of the Lord even when we say we are doing the will of the Lord. Jesus did not chastise Mary. He told Martha that she chose correctly and it wouldn't be taken from her.

Most of the women I have talked with about this scripture cannot understand why Jesus sided with Mary. They are the ones who will leave worship early or skip worship altogether when their is a fellowship right after church. They believe it is absolutely necessary to feed people. I have told them several times that physical food can wait when spiritual food is being offered. They still think of themselves as practical. I love their servants' hearts but I disagree with their assessment of when things must be done.

Make sure that you aren't so busy doing the Lord's work that you have no time for the Lord. Eventually, you will run out of steam for you are doing everything in your own power. Jesus said that you really aren't doing anything without Him.